


Darkness Falls

by ballofbitter



Category: Fallout 4
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst-pure angst, F/M, Gen, Gen or Romance, far harbor speculation, far harbor spoilers, potentially? probably not, tagged as major character death to be safe
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-05-06
Updated: 2016-05-06
Packaged: 2018-06-06 16:11:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,159
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6760933
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ballofbitter/pseuds/ballofbitter
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>If there was one thing she was sure of in this fucked-up world, one thing she could trust her heart in, <i>one thing</i> she could say she would die for-and by <i>god</i> she didn’t want to die, not after all she’d been through-it was that he would do the same for her. <i>Had</i> done the same for her.</p>
<p>She wasn’t going to lose anyone else.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Darkness Falls

**Author's Note:**

> first off: i'm sorry  
> second off: hi I'm new to the nick/ss tag and I didn't want the first thing I posted to be a massive pile of pain but here we are I have a much happier thing I'm also working on I hope someone likes this mess If I don't post this now I will chicken out and never post it so here we go!  
> third off: My beta-ing is as rusty as rusty gets. Sorry for any run ons or grammar I did my best but if there's anything really major let me know!  
> finally: i'm sorry

She ran, the heavy sounds of the pounding of her feet against cracking concrete echoed through the escape tunnel she was taking towards that looming, terrifying warehouse. She was normally the slowest, most cautious traveler, always checking each corner for threats before she’d make her move. Her chest heaved as she ran; her stealthy, calculated moves completely forgotten as she fought with each step to move just a _little bit faster_. All of her supplies had been forgotten somewhere outside the sinister warehouse as her heavy backpack would have only slowed her down, all but her lightest armor stashed away with it. Armed with only her most beloved rifle at her hip she knew deep down that where she was going- she may not come back. Wiser people may have told her to wait, wait for her backup to arrive, just _wait_.

Yet there she was. Sprinting head first into her potential demise so fast her lungs were burning alongside the pulsating anxiety thrumming in her chest. She’d tried to justify her hasty actions to her comrade when she’d tapped him in over the radio that _he_ would do the same for her, no questions asked.

“ _General, please. We’re on our way right now. You have no idea what you’re walking into. What they even want with him. You **need** backup. You need us; Piper is on the first boat over as we speak. I beg you; please don’t go in there alone, you don’t know what you’re in for. You may not come back.”_

She had told her friend she would wait. As soon as the radio had crackled out she’d grabbed her pack and that rifle she trusted her life with and she’d vanished into the fog.

If there was one thing she was sure of in this fucked-up world, one thing she could trust her heart in, _one thing_ she could say she would die for-and by _god_ she didn’t want to die, not after all she’d been through-it was that he would do the same for her. _Had_ done the same for her.

She wasn’t going to lose anyone else.

“ _I’ll always be around, partner. Whether you’ll have me there or not. There’s no shaking me loose now._ ”

They had come out of nowhere as if they were a force that she couldn’t have protected him from even if she’d tried, the long shadows the trees on that island cast the perfect guise to conceal themselves in, just waiting for the moment she had been distracted enough to miss the crunching of the dead vegetation, that single moment enough to tear any familiar comfort to pieces. Something blunt had hit the back of her head and in a moment she’d fallen to the ground, their tender hands now separated the spiky grasses scraped her cheek as it hit the ground with a quiet thump.

She could only watch through a blurred haze of colours and shapes as they’d pulled a bag cleanly over his head, the detective’s confusion fading through the pounding haze as she was unable to do anything but watch in horror as two more came out from the shadows in order to restrain her companion, another tripping him mercilessly in order to bind his hands tightly around his back. His voice in that hazy moment was something she’d never be able to forget, the pained, hoarseness muffled by the bag was enough to tell her what he was thinking without even having to see those terrified yellow eyes.

“ _Run! Just **run**!”_

“ ** _Nick_** _!”_

What happened after was nothing more than a haze of confusion and pain when she woke late into the night. The sharp throbbing in the back of her head spurred her to her feet as she looked around to see the early morning light making its way between the endless sea of trees around her, letting her know that she had fallen unconscious for longer than she’d thought. With shaking, cracked hands she picked up her discarded rifle only to feel her heart stop dead in her chest when she noticed the battered, worn fedora lying discarded a little off the dirt path.

_Nick_.

Burning legs carried her down another sharp turn in the dark with hammering footsteps; the desolate tunnel only seemed to grow longer as she sprinted towards the light she could see slowly starting to come into view. Her heart knotted in apprehension as she could sense she was getting _close_. Just a _little bit closer_ and she would be able to beat whatever faces in she had to in order to rescue her partner and together they could finally get off this god-forsaken island.

They had come here looking for answers but all they had found was a darkness so black that reached so far deep into her soul she didn’t think she’d ever be able to forget.

Machines hummed loudly in the background when she’d kicked open the door with a loud crash, her beloved rifle leading the way into the darkness beyond the entrance to the large room. She could feel her stomach knotting in a similar way to the way her heart was bunched up in her chest, the loud thudding pounding mercilessly in her ears as her eyes fought to adjust to the pitch black.

“N-Nick?” She called out quietly, the noticeable waver in her voice echoing off the walls and back as she took a few more hesitant steps forward “Nick if you’re in here somewhere, please say _something_! I’m not leaving without you!”

It was impossible to mask the sheer fear she could feel reverberating through her voice, the anxiety crushing her heart enough to leave her completely breathless.

It wasn’t until the dim lights on the other side of the large room came on slowly, the darkness fading gently as they grew brighter with every passing second. Squinting in an effort to see in the changing light she took a few testing steps forward when she could see a stoic figure sitting on a large throne-looking structure, the seemingly endless tubes and wires surrounding it thrumming with life as she fought to get a better look at the lifeless form.

She froze when she saw the form shift from its sitting position. It wasn’t until that gentle, familiar voice that brought her forth from her distressed slumber countless times rang out that she wanted to fall to knees and cry. When the figure came forwards into the dimmed light her fears were solidified as he stepped forward, bits of wire and countless tubes attached to his body through tattered skin, the entire back of his head removed as he stared at her with cold, unfeeling eyes she could swear were glowing slightly red.

Her beloved rifle clattered to the floor as she reached out, her fingers quivering.

“N- _Nick_?”

“I’m afraid that you’re mistaken. I must give my condolences though, Mr. Valentine put up a _hell_ of a fight.”

**Author's Note:**

> to be clear: i don't think the synth in the trailer is nick, with the dubbing/this mysterious synth colony my doubts are pretty high and that bathesda is just really keen on reusing textures/freaking people the hell out to get their money! but!!! if it is I do think he'll be just fine by the end. However the thought that someone (children of atom???) take him hostage to use him as some kind of avatar is one of my absolute favourites. So far this is just a drabble but if enough people were to like it I may look at adding more.


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